CT lodging industry job losses could double without fed bailout - CT Insider

ajangtayu.blogspot.com

Connecticut’s lodging industry lost nearly 10,000 jobs over the last six months and that number could nearly double if federal lawmakers don’t come up with some kind of bailout package for companies in the sector, a leading industry trade group is predicting.

The latest data from the American Hotel & Lodging Association found that 9,925 Connecticut hotel industry jobs were lost between March and September. Connecticut’s hospitality industry employed more than 26,000 people when COVID-19 hit the United States and resulted in hotels being closed by public health mandates, as well as dramatic falloff in the amount of business and leisure travel.

The AHLA is projecting that without some kind of financial bailout for the industry, Connecticut’s lodging sector could lose another 8,310 jobs in the coming months.

Chip Rogers, president and chief executive officer of the AHLA, said Congress needs “to put politics aside and prioritize American workers in the hardest-hit industries.”

“Hotels are cornerstones of the communities they serve, building strong local economies and supporting millions of jobs,” Rogers said. “Thousands of hotels across America are in jeopardy of closing forever, and that will have a ripple effect throughout our communities for years to come.”

AHLA officials said that prior to the start of the pandemic, there were 389 hotels in Connecticut. Without an industry bailout, the organization is projecting that 181 of those hotels will go into foreclosure.

A survey of AHLA members done last week found that 67 percent of hotels nationwide don’t expect to last another six months if another COVID stimulus bill is not passed.

Nationwide, 871,065 of the 2.28 million hotel jobs that existed before the start of the pandemic were wiped out over the last six months. Without some kind of bailout, an additional 729,317 hotel jobs could be lost in the coming months, according to the AHLA.